Bible: Num 35

The Levitical Cities

Then the LordspoketoMosesin the Moabiteplainsby the Jordannear Jericho.2He said:35:2“InstructtheIsraelitesto give3the Levitestownsto livein from the inheritancethe Israelites4 will possess. You must also givethe Levitesgrazing landaroundthe towns.35:3Thus they willhave townsin which to live, and their grazing landswill befor their cattle, for their possessions, and for alltheir animals.35:4The grazing landsaroundthe townsthatyou will giveto the Levitesmustextend to a distance of 500yards5from the townwall.

35:5 “You must measure6from outsidethe wallof the townon the east1,000 yards,7and on the southside1,000 yards, and on the westside1,000 yards, and on the northside1,000 yards, with the townin the middle.8Thisterritory must belongto them as grazing landfor the towns.35:6Now from these townsthatyou will giveto the Levitesyou must select sixtownsof refugeto whicha person who has killed someone mayflee.9And you must givethem forty-twoother towns.

35:7 “So the totalof the townsyou will givethe Levitesis forty-eight. You must give these together with their grazing lands.35:8The townsyou will givemust be from the possessionof the Israelites. From the largertribes you must give more; and from the smallertribes fewer. Eachmust contributesome of its owntownstothe Levitesin proportion to the inheritanceallocatedto each.

The Cities of Refuge

35:9Then the LordspoketoMoses:35:10“Speaktothe Israelitesand tellthem, ‘Whenyoucrossover the Jordan River10into the landof Canaan,35:11you must then designatesome townsas townsof refugefor you, to which a personwho has killedsomeoneunintentionallymay flee.35:12And they must stand as your townsof refugefrom the avengerin order that the killermay notdieuntilhe hasstoodtrialbeforethe community.35:13These townsthatyou must giveshall be your sixtownsfor refuge.

35:14 “You mustgivethreetownson this sideof the Jordan, and you mustgivethreetownsin the landof Canaan; they must betownsof refuge.35:15Thesesixtownswill beplaces of refugefor the Israelites, and for the foreigner, and for the settleramongthem, so that anyonewho killsany personaccidentallymay fleethere.

35:16 “But ifhe hits someonewith an irontoolsothat he dies,11he is a murderer. The murderermust surely be putto death.35:17Ifhe strikeshim by throwing a stonelarge enoughthathe coulddie, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderermust surely be put to death.35:18Orif he strikeshimwitha woodenhandweaponso that he could die, and he dies, he is a murderer. The murderermust surely be put to death.35:19The avenger12of bloodhimselfmust killthe murderer; when he meetshim, he must killhim.

35:20 “But ifhe strikeshim outof hatredorthrowssomething at him intentionally13so that he dies,35:21orwith enmityhe strikeshim with his handand he dies, the one who struckhim mustsurely be put to death, for he isa murderer. The avengerof bloodmust killthemurdererwhen he meetshim.

35:22 “But ifhe strikeshim suddenly, withoutenmity, orthrowsanythingat him unintentionally,35:23orwith anystonelarge enough thata man could die, without seeinghim, and throwsit athim, and he dies, even thoughhe was nothis enemynorsoughthis harm,35:24then the communitymust judgebetweenthe slayerand the avengerof bloodaccordingto thesedecisions.35:25The communitymust deliverthe slayerout of the handof the avengerof blood, and thecommunitymust restorehim tothe townof refugeto whichhe fled, and he must livethere14untilthe deathof the highpriest, whowas anointedwith the consecratedoil.35:26But ifthe slayerat any timegoes outsidethe boundaryof the townto whichhe had fled,35:27and the avengerof bloodfindshim outsidethe bordersof the townof refuge, and the avengerof bloodkillsthe slayer, he will notbe guilty of blood,35:28becausethe slayer15 should have stayedin his townof refugeuntilthe deathof the highpriest. But afterthe deathof the highpriest, the slayermay returntothe landof his possessions.35:29So thesethings must be a statutoryordinance16for you throughout your generations, in allthe placeswhere you live.

35:30 “Whoever killsany person, the murderermust be put to death by the testimony17of witnesses; but onewitnesscannot18testifyagainst any personto cause him to be put to death.35:31Moreover, you must notaccepta ransomfor the lifeof a murdererwhoisguiltyof death; he mustsurelybe put to death.35:32And you must notaccepta ransomfor anyone who has fledtoa townof refuge, to allow him toreturnhome and liveon his own landbeforethe deathof the high priest.19